Or, Why I should go to the grocery store for more whiskey.

I like TV. I like movies. And, I like reading books. I haven’t always liked books, but I do now. Once I saw my first movie in an actual theater I was hooked. It was Star Wars. The first one, which was actually the fourth one, but that’s a long story. I saw it when it first came out in the theaters. I was a mere lad in the single digits of my age and I thought it was awesome.

Yes, I am that old.

TV however…oh how I like LOVE you. From those days when I was young, before George Lucas dreamt of Luke blowing up the Death Star, I was a good American young boy whose parents decided it was best to drop me in front of our 20 something inch TV (which oddly took up about 4 feet by 3 feet) to occupy me for some time.

Yes, TV’s used to be furniture.

I think movies, books, and TV are all an escape for me. Heck they probably are for most people. I mean we all live tough lives. Some way tougher than others. My life is good. But, even so I get tired from the daily grind and need an escape.

I’ve been in need of some escape lately and thanks to some friends I found it.

Summer months are great for movies as there are all kinds of good ones out there what with the studios and all are trying to maximize the buck they get from their audience. And, with the long, hot days and kids out of school it’s a no-brainer for them to release movies in the summer months.

Books are also a summer favorite as people head off to vacation destinations near and far looking for that classic summer read. I’ve read a couple books this summer, but lately I’ve had a hard time staying awake.

With the Olympics being over and the new Fall season of shows having yet to start, I had kind of written off TV for a bit. But, lately a number of my friends have been urging me to check out The Newsroom on HBO.

After a relatively weak set of excuses about how I currently have a full docket of shows (remember it’s the Summer rerun season), I finally caved. And, boy am I glad I did.

The Newsroom is a series that’s set in a…wait for it…Newsroom. Shocking I know. It’s a story about people who are telling the stories to us, the public, via the nightly news anchor’s desk.

The President of the news division isn’t happy with how they are portraying the stories. More to the point, how they have been part of the media bias and how they’ve only been catering to ratings – must sell more soap! So, he sets out to change how they deliver the news. It’s a drama with a good dose of comedy sprinkled on top.

I won’t go into the details – you should really watch it yourself – but the cast, the stories, the characters are all first rate. It talks politics, current events, history and mixes it with a dash of humanity and sexual tension.

Maybe the hook for me was that the real creative genius behind the show is Aaron Sorkin. I was a huge Sorkin fan from way back I had a clue who Sorkin even was.

He was behind the “You can’t handle the truth” movie, A Few Good Men. The sappy, yet surprisingly good, American President. One of the best movies I’ve seen in the past few years, Moneyball. And many other movies including The Social Network.

His TV credits include, the brilliant West Wing and the vastly under appreciated Sports Night (which I’m sure has influenced The Newsroom). If you haven’t watched either of those, do yourself a favor and check them out. Sports Night is really good and The West Wing may be one of the top TV series of all time – at least in my mind.

So, with some free time over the past few days during the long weekend, Mrs. CV and I sat down to watch a few episodes of Season 1 of The Newsroom. We had already watched the first two episodes and were hooked. We wanted more and we wanted it now!

But, there’s a problem with the On-Demand catch up behavior…you actually get caught up! And, that’s where we are now. Season 1 is over and dammit I want more!

As we were discussing one of the later episodes in the first season it hit me why I believe I like this show so much. Sure it’s all the reasons I mentioned above – great storyline, creative jokes, great acting, great genius behind the scenes. Yep, that’s all there. But, do you know what else is there?

What we all want in our jobs.

Yes, that’s right The Newsroom is what we all secretly wish for in our own careers. No, not necessarily to be the next Tom Brokaw, although that would be totally cool. No, what we all want is to work in an environment of teamwork, respect and creativity.

We all want to go to an office where people trust you. Where people allow you to do the job you were hired to do. Where they encourage you to take risks. Where they reward you for those risks that worked out well. And, where they pick you up if the risk goes badly…and where they still tell you despite having fallen down that you did a good job.

We all want to play a role in life where we make a difference. It doesn’t need to be huge like curing cancer. It can be small like making someone feel safe or making someone smile. We all want people to say to us:

“Thank you for what you do.”“You are good at what you do.”

If you have that kind of job already. I congratulate you. I envy you. Most important, I hope you realize what you have.

Me, oh I like what I do generally speaking, but am I passionate about it? I don’t think I am.

Do I work in an environment like I described above? I don’t think I do.

Does that mean I’ve failed? I don’t think I have.

But, what I think it does mean is that I should try to be part of the solution. I shouldn’t let the idiots like George get me down (nor should I beat him senseless…must refrain from beating him senseless). I should do the best that I can and see if I can get someone to tell me that I’m good at what I do even if it’s not my management. And, if all else fails, I should keep looking for that company…that team that might be looking for someone who does what I do and does it well.

P.S. Don’t worry, I’ll get back to the warped rants about my work world just as soon as I hit the grocery store for another big ol’ bottle of Gentleman Jack. See, I ran out a couple days back and I’m pretty sure that’s where the above came from…withdrawals.

You are too funny sometimes..(Just throwing that out there)..I have not watched TV in years because all that was showing was garbage’ (said in a French accent)..I like Mr Sorkin though so I may be inclined to watch this show, but wait, the season is over..Guess I’ll pick up another book then 🙂

Ah man, do what you love and love what you do! I used to feel like you, all the time. Sadly, I think it’s very common for employees to feel underappreciated in their jobs. Become your own boss, really. It’s not that hard to do (on the basis that if I can, then anyone can) and it really is the best. I highly recommend it, especially in the absence of any decent employers out there! Failing that, we could do with a hand here – what do you do?!

See … personally I’m more of a Sloan Sabbith guy myself. But I hear you on the job front. I think you hit it on the head with your comment on risk taking and tolerance, respect and creativity. We all want to be passionate about what we do and work with people who have integrity and share in that passion.

Have you ever seen the 1980’s Nightline “Deep Dive” special on IDEO? That company gives a similar “OMG I want to work there!” feel too only it’s real. Check it out if you haven’t yet.